Last week, a EUROfusion delegation visited the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) in Hefei, China, for an intensive four-day scientific and technical exchange to start the joint development of the Research Plan for the future BEST tokamak. The meeting marked the official launch of the Joint BEST Research Plan Team, introduced by Yuntao Song (ASIPP) and Marco Wischmeier (EUROfusion).
Discussions spanned key topics in plasma physics and fusion technology, including operational scenarios, heating, current drive and fueling systems, fast particles, MHD, transport, theory and integrated modeling, divertor and plasma-wall interactions, plasma control and disruptions, as well as neutronics and safety. Both teams identified areas requiring further study and laid the foundation for drafting the research plan in the coming months.
“BEST is an ambitious project, but comes very timely for advancing future fusion energy initiatives,” said Yevgen Kazakov, the EUROfusion coordinator for the project. “We agreed with ASIPP colleagues to focus our 2025 efforts on achieving plasma conditions with Q > 1 for over 100 seconds as an initial milestone. Together with Jinping Qian, the ASIPP coordinator, we are committed to a one-team approach to drive the analysis of BEST forward.”
Beyond the intense work sessions, ASIPP’s warm hospitality made the visit memorable. The EUROfusion team was treated to a guided tour of the Hunan Provincial Museum and a traditional round-table Chinese dinner, fostering strong personal and professional connections.
Marco Wischmeier, head of EUROfusion’s Plasma Science for ITER, DEMO, and Stellarators Department, highlighted the importance of this partnership: “The BEST tokamak has the potential to address key physics and technology challenges critical to the DEMO program. We look forward to continuing this collaboration on BEST and to hosting our Chinese colleagues in Europe during the next meeting in May 2025.”